Petition against the houses at U Nikolajky has been signed by 2000 local residents

Nová Nikolajka, Central Group; source: praha5.zeleni.cz

Prague - Nearly 2000 people have signed a petition against the construction of residential buildings on U Nikolajky street in Prague 5. The company Central Group has begun building two houses in Smíchov, and according to locals, the buildings are oversized and will worsen traffic and the environment in the area. Critics of the construction also claim that the company has exceeded the maximum allowable building density of the land by approximately 20 percent. This was communicated to ČTK by Lukáš Budín, chairman of the Green Party in Prague 5 and representative of the platform ZaPět. The developer has previously stated that it has all the necessary permits and is building in accordance with the law. ČTK is seeking a statement from Central Group.
    "The petition, along with the urban planning assessment, has been submitted to the City Hall of the capital and the Ministry of Regional Development," said Budín.
    The developer Central Group wants to build two buildings with more than a hundred apartments in the area. Construction was initiated by the company in December of last year when approximately 400 trees were cut down on the land.
    The protesting residents, who founded a civic association, also claim that the developer is exceeding the legally stipulated maximum building density of the land. "Central Group has exceeded the land use ratio by 2700 square meters of residential space, which accounts for about 20 percent of the total residential area of the project itself," Budín stated, adding that the residents had commissioned an assessment from an architect.
    A geotechnical study commissioned by the civic association from the Czech Technical University also points to a possible destabilization of the adjacent hillside and threatens existing homes with landslides on Nad Mrázovkou and U Mrázovky streets.
    The residents' protests have also been supported by the leadership of the Prague 5 municipality, which has joined the ongoing lawsuits against the construction project.
    Central Group has previously stated that it builds in accordance with the law and has all necessary permits. "Construction was started based on a valid building permit, and its completion is anticipated by mid-2015," stated the company spokesperson Martina Pavlisová to ČTK back in December 2013 when the construction began.
    Protests against the construction began as early as 2004. The company wants to build two apartment buildings with more than a hundred apartments on Nikolajka. Local residents are worried that the construction will deteriorate their quality of life, destroy green spaces, and burden the streets with new traffic.

Orthophoto from the Land Registry - trees have already been cut down on parcels 2469 (left) and 2400 and 2399 (right); source: praha5.zeleni.cz

Orthophoto from the Land Registry - on the highlighted parcel 2469 the upper building B is to be constructed, on the highlighted parcels 2400 and 2399 the lower building A; source: praha5.zeleni.cz